* * *

"Again today?"

"Yes, it seems so."

"I've lost count of how many days it's been."

"Since the incidents began, so almost three months now. It's been especially bad since that man arrived."

"I'm worried."

"Don't entertain needless thoughts. Thinking and making judgments are Her Highness's responsibility. We need only follow our orders."

"True enough."

As though restoring the discipline their idle conversation had disturbed, the two knights fell silent again. They stood straight as statues, keeping a meticulous watch over their surroundings.

But neither knew that a shadow had slipped past overhead in the brief opening their conversation had created.

["The security really is airtight. Even Leviathan wasn't this bad."]

'That's because the Leviathan you saw was only a branch. You wouldn't say that if you'd been to the Black Dragon Palace.'

["I don't know. However tight security is there, I doubt it could match this place."]

'You think so?'

["Of course."]

Yu Na-gyeong answered without hesitation. Then she marveled at the knights guarding every key point, from the corridors and gardens to every corner of the castle walls.

["Seriously, don't those knights get sleepy? How do they stay at their posts all night without so much as blinking?"]

'They're experts of the Seven Dragons Society. Staying up for a night or two isn't going to tire them out.'

["Wei Ling always has really dark circles under her eyes, though."]

'That's because she hasn't just been staying up for a night or two.'

["... It strikes me all over again—do you know Guardian is a total sweatshop?"]

'Why make such a fuss over this? In the old days, it was common to give people a loaf of bread mixed with sand and half-spoiled wine, then work them day and night for days.'

["That's not even a sweatshop. That's a black hole of a company! You'd have a revolution on your hands immediately!"]

'Then you suppress it and put them back to work.'

["You think that bullshit logic would fly?!"]

'It did in countries with a Sword Master. That's part of why the Age of Heroes was such a goddamn mess.'

Limon chuckled, but continued moving cautiously. He walked without making a sound or even betraying his presence, sometimes hanging from the ceiling or climbing walls.

Having mapped the fields of vision of every guard stationed around him, he moved exclusively through their blind spots with exquisite precision. Any spy would have wanted to learn a thing or two from that performance.

But he did not let his guard down. He knew the visible knights were not the entirety of the security.

VZZT!

Two knights materialized as though springing up from the spot Limon had occupied moments earlier, proving his point. They glanced around, confirmed that nothing was amiss, and vanished across space again. Watching them, Limon clicked his tongue inwardly.

'This is why the Blue Dragon Clan is such a pain.'

It would be one thing if something important were happening, but they crossed space even for a mere patrol. Only the Blue Dragon Clan, born with the psionic power of teleportation, could perform such a feat.

That was also why Limon could not move freely. Evading the stationed guards did him no good when more could suddenly appear right in front of him.

He had only managed this much because he was a Sword Master capable of sensing distortions in space beforehand. An ordinary spy would have been discovered long ago.

"Tsk. So the main building is out of reach after all."

After spending a long time prowling around, Limon returned to his room with nothing to show for an entire sleepless night and clicked his tongue. Yu Na-gyeong, who had stayed up with him as a result, offered a brief complaint of her own.

["It would be a little easier if I could at least teleport freely."]

"Be sensible. Do you want to summon every last member of the Blue Dragon Clan in the castle?"

["I'm just saying because it's so frustrating."]

Yu Na-gyeong grumbled. As someone who had been a teleportation player, a place where teleporting meant instant discovery felt as stifling as being underwater.

["So what are you going to do now?"]

"Well... I'll have to give up on sneaking deeper inside for now."

["You're giving up surprisingly quickly."]

"Clinging to something impossible is just a waste of time."

Limon shrugged. He was a Sword Master, not a Thief Master. His long experience made him better at stealth than most thieves or assassins, but he could not secretly penetrate security this tight.

'My bride-to-be might manage it... but that won't work.'

He dismissed the thought as soon as it occurred to him. Li Qingyu, princess of the Black Dragon Clan, whose specialty was concealment and infiltration, could likely get farther than he could. But she was already too busy even to accompany him. He could hardly call her over for this.

"I suppose I'll have to get information out of an insider after all."

["Will that work?"]

"Everyone has a mouth. And it isn't as though I heard nothing while making the rounds today."

["Heard what? All we heard the entire night was a few bits of small talk."]

"Keep gathering even those scraps, and they can become an unexpected treasure. It works even better if you befriend people and subtly slip in leading questions."

This was House Seaserpent. Not only the knights on guard, but even the passing maids and odd-job workers were either members of the Blue Dragon Clan or people who lived alongside them.

What they chatted about, what interested them, what they disliked—all of it could provide important clues. As Limon explained this based on his long lifetime of experience, Yu Na-gyeong gave him an incredulous look.

["That only applies to people who have a way with words. You're no good at that, Team Leader."]

"... What exactly do you think I am?"

["What else? A swashbuckling swordsman who reaches for his blade before his words."]

"..."

SMACK!

["Ow! Why did you hit me? It's not like I said anything wrong!"]

"The punishment for disrespect gets harsher the more truth you tell, you brat."

After those twists and turns, Limon decided to pursue inquiries rather than covert infiltration. That did not mean he immediately began scurrying around the estate that very day, meeting everyone he could. Doing so would have been tantamount to advertising that he was a spy.

More importantly, gathering information was not his only task.

* * *

"What do you think, Lee?"

"Hmm. Not bad, considering how hastily it was arranged."

"... You must be the only violinist in the world who would describe a Guarneri that way, Lee."

Its auction price alone would run to at least several billion won. Factoring in its historical value and rarity made it priceless. Julia was dumbfounded by his harsh assessment of one of the three great makes of violin.

Limon's response, however, was indifferent.

"What can I do? It feels lacking compared with the violin I normally use."

"Put that way, I really can't argue."

Julia smiled wryly. Having heard him play the Violin of Deepest Black, even if only on television, she knew he was neither exaggerating nor making an empty boast.

"Well, don't worry too much. I know I should be grateful to borrow something this good."

"You really should be. Countess Seaserpent must be the only person who would readily lend a Guarneri to a musician she's never even met."

"I can repay her with my performance."

"True. A fair point."

Julia let out a small, amused laugh, then took out her own violin, a Stradivarius, with a faint smile.

"Now, shall we begin preparing for that wonderful performance?"

"By all means."

All they had were chairs and two violins. In the middle of the garden, without even sheet music, Limon nodded calmly, and Julia likewise took their situation for granted.

Julia settled into position, and Limon followed her lead, bringing his violin to his shoulder. Then a gentle melody drifted through the flower maze that was House Seaserpent's pride.

* * *

In an office on the top floor of House Seaserpent's main building, Rose spoke in a clear voice.

"Lord Karl truly requested an audience with His Highness the Crown Prince?"

"Yes. The audience should already be underway by now."

"I see..."

As Rose sank into thought, Lucas, a man in ornate armor, spoke with a grave expression.

"Do not worry too much, Your Highness. Even Lord Karl cannot encroach upon our clan's authority."

"I agree, but I am concerned that his pressure will be a burden on the royal family as well."

Rose sighed.

An ordinary player would have been another matter, but Karl was the Monarch of Magic. In only some thirty years, he had built the Magus Guild into a power comparable to House Seaserpent. If he proceeded without scruple, even they would inevitably struggle to respond.

"If he merely cuts off his donations, more than half the charitable projects scheduled for next month will have to be scaled back or become difficult to carry out at all."

"That... is certainly cause for concern."

Lucas frowned at Rose's observation.

The charitable work House Seaserpent and the Magus Guild had undertaken together for decades was immense in scale. If the guild, which covered more than half the expenses, pulled out, even they would struggle to fill the gap.

That was why Rose spoke only after careful deliberation.

"Sir Lucas, please allow ample funds in next month's budget, just in case."

"So that we can proceed with the charitable projects unchanged even without the Magus Guild's donations?"

"Yes."

"That would require postponing or scaling back several important business projects, including the oil field development in Norway. Would that still be acceptable?"

Lucas asked gravely. A large corporation had to continually invest enormous sums alongside earning money in order to grow. Even if they did not immediately run a deficit, diverting funds intended for business into donations meant accepting considerable losses in the long term.

Yet Rose answered without hesitation.

"We cannot leave those already living difficult lives in hardship because of our clan's circumstances."

"You are quite right."

An ordinary businessperson would have immediately asked whether she was out of her mind. Yet Rose spoke as though it were only natural, and Lucas accepted the order with a faint smile.

Such a decision and response were possible within the Seven Dragon Group, where the princess held exclusive ownership of all one hundred percent of the holding company's shares—and, in particular, within the merciful Blue Dragon Clan.

But that lasted only a moment. Lucas soon grew solemn again.

"Your Highness, I heard that you stayed awake until late last night as well."

"Yes. I could not sleep again yesterday, so I walked around the city until I began to feel sleepy."

"... Until past four in the morning?"

"It was not quite that late. It was a little before four."

"Which means you only slept for one hour again last night."

Before he was the princess's close aide and bodyguard, Lucas was a member of the Blue Dragon Clan, and he could not help sighing. Every member of the clan knew that Rose's daily routine began at five in the morning.

Rose answered him calmly.